After Hours
by DeejaVu
Summary: Louise is sent to investigate what the Legion does in the wee hours of the morning. First person Louise-centric, Kelouise. Greenie's prize for The Rawr LoSH Contest! Enjoyssss! If you bother me enough, I might add a Kell-centric second chapter.


It was so cold. Every step I took seemed to make my body temperature drop ten degrees. I shivered and stared up at the lonely moon surrounded by stars with their companions.

That was me. I was the moon, all alone among couples and the joined elite. I shuddered more and huddled as far as I could into my light, blue wool jacket. It was so far beyond me why I bothered taking on the most radical stories my internship at The Daily Planetoid offered me. And yet here I was, at two in the morning, walking towards the headquarters of the infamous Legion. My story was to get the scoop on after hours habits of the best known members of the Legion.

To tell the truth, I was insanely excited. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation, maybe the two energy drinks I'd had to prepare for the mock sleepover, maybe it was the chance to see-well, I won't bother with that. I arrived at the Legion Tower, duffel in hand. The door-bot recognized me and let me in immediately. I guess someone had programmed it to give me access.

Legion Tower seemed to have undergone a new design. The entire inside of the building was covered in glow-in-the-dark neon orange paint, and it certainly was glowing. Black light bulbs scattered in a crazy fashion hung from the ceiling. I waited in the lobby for all of ten seconds before a beach ball was hurled into the room, followed by Chameleon Boy and Lightning Lad whooping it up. Cham was in some neon green long sleeve pajamas, and Lightning Lad was in bright blue pajamas with lightning bolts on them. Both sets of pajamas had the Legion insignia on the right side of the front, next to the buttons. Both boys were barefoot, and I could see that Cham had four toes on each foot. Brainy burst into the room, continuing a string of reasoning that obviously held controlled anger.

**"Stop that immediately! Loud noises while other Legionnaires are trying to sleep are certainly not acceptable, especially when that reporter could be here any min-" **Brainy cut his sentence off as he caught sight of me. Lightning Lad and Cham stopped what they were doing when they noticed Brainy had stopped talking and looked at me as well. I waved sheepishly.

**"Uh, hi?"** I stammered. I could feel my inner reporter whacking the part of me that had just stammered with a large sledge hammer.** "I mean, what are you doing?" **I pulled out my data pod and began to record.

"**You're.....here." **Brainy said slowly, as if he couldn't believe that I had already arrived. A clear look of exasperation adorned his face. Lightning Lad and Cham glanced at each other, then burst out laughing. Lightning Lad tackled Cham in an attempt to grab the beach ball. Cham turned into a Tandorian Loparoo and kicked him off, bounding away with the ball in his adorable little hands. Brainy sighed. **"Welcome to Legion HQ, after hours. Once I get those two under control, I am sure you can do your interviews. In the meantime, why not change into your pajamas? Female quarters are on the fifth floor to the right. You'll be staying in Triplicate Girl's room, since there are three beds for each of her bodies. After you change, you can wait in the recreation room, third floor, second entrance on the left." **Brainy droned. I nodded as he walked off.

**"By the way, nice pajamas." **I said, snapping a quick picture with my data pod just as he turned around with a quizzical look on his face. He shook his head and continued walking off. He was wearing green pajamas with purple teddy bears printed on them, and had on purple teddy bear slippers.

I headed toward the port tube. In an flash, I was on the fifth floor. I turned right and let myself into Trip's room. She was sprawled on two of the three beds, arguing over which holo-pod program to run. I made my presence known with a simple greeting, and all three of Trip rushed over and hugged me.

**"Hiwe'vebeen-"**

**"-expectingyoufortwo-"**

**"-hoursandwe'rereally-"**

**"-excitedthatyou-"**

**"-arestayingwithme!" **They spoke as if they were one, their words flowing so perfectly together that if Trip hadn't been split into three, I could swear she was together.

**"You're gonna help, right?" **White Trip asked. All three of the hero wore form-fitting tank tops that corresponded with their hair and loose black sweats. Each tank top had a giant Legion insignia in the smack-dab middle.

**"Help with what?"** I questioned cautiously, data-pod set to record the entire night.

**"All of us girls are all gonna super-prank the guys tonight!" **Orange Trip exclaimed excitedly. I pushed the button to reveal the changing veil and stepped behind it to change into my red New Metropolis University T-shirt and dark blue pajama mini-shorts. I attached the detachable microphone of my data-pod to my shirt and the detachable data-cam to my temple. **"You're gonna join us, right?"**

**"Sounds fun."** I grinned devilishly as I imagined spraying whipped cream all over Kell's face and then seeing the look on his face in the morning.

**"Awesome."** Purple Trip said darkly, but I could tell she was happy because of the glint in her eye.

**"Where did Brainy say the party was?"** Orange Trip popped up in front of me just as I turned the changing veil off.

**"What party?"** I hadn't known there was a party.

**"Where did Brainy tell you to wait?"** White Trip said patiently.

**"Oh! The rec room."** I said. **"Third floor, second door to the left, right?"**

**"Bingo! Let's go!"** White Trip said as they reunited into one. Trip's combined PJs were a purple-white-black-and-orange-striped tank with the Legion insignia and the black sweats they/she'd been wearing before. She dragged me toward the port tube and we reappeared on the third floor. Trip stopped off at the first door to have a short chat with Saturn Girl, and I continued on to the second door, which was really just a giant doorway. I guess that's why Brainy said entrance, not door.

What I saw in there was both horrifying and amazing at the same time. Kell was sitting on the couch, game controller in hand. That wasn't the shocking part. He was wearing navy blue sweat pants. And no shirt. I stared for a few moments before catching myself and turning around to go do something other than stare at Kell's beautifully carved chest. Sadly enough, Cham had a big mouth.

**"Hey Louise! Come watch me demolish Kell in Music V!"** He called to my back. Kell muttered something about hologames under his breath.

**"–no thank you."** I said, blushing as the billionth image of Kell's chest dance in my mind's eye. Sprock that boy's superpowered body. Trip passed me, split into three again. Saturn Girl wasn't far behind her.

**"Put a shirt on, Future Boy,"** Purple Trip growled. **"There's company around, dope."** I blushed harder as Kell walked past. The glimpse of his just-as-muscled back led to a short series of suppressed giggles. Orange Trip gave me an evil grin and a wink that said, "I know something you don't want me to know." I gulped and smiled sheepishly for the second time that night.

Saturn Girl sat in the spot where Kell had been sitting. She had on a sleeveless frilly pink nightgown that flowed all the way to her ankles. She, like almost everyone else, was barefoot. Cosmic Boy, who was next to her, was still in uniform. To his left was TimberWolf, in orange footie pajamas with happy super-deformed brown puppies printed on them. Two seats over was Lightning Lad, who was giving Cham a noogie. I plopped into a small purple moon chair near the holoscreen contentedly. Phantom Girl arrived and sat between TimberWolf and Lightning Lad. She was wearing a form-fitting black tank top, black sweats, and white arm warmers. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. After her, Brainy entered with Kell not far behind.

**"Okay. Brainy, where's Vi?"** Cos asked, standing up and preparing to begin the party.

**"I don't kn-AAAH!"** Brainy jumped in shock as Violet appeared in front of him, facing Cos.

**"I'm right here. Stop screaming, Brainy."** She said pointedly. Violet was wearing loose brown satin pajama pants and a fitted dark brown pajama top. Her hair was in two pigtails towards the lower back of her head.

**"I guess we can call the meeting to order then." **Cos stood up and clapped his hands together.

**"It's not a meeting, Cos. It's a party, Cos. A celebratory gathering in which large amounts of sugary treats are consumed and silly games are enjoyed, Cos. You may take your leave now, Cos. I'm sure the patrols are all prepared for you, Cos."**

**"Aw, shut the frip up, Brainy. I'm leaving."** Cos growled irritatedly. Brainy faked a sweet smile and waved.

**"Goodbye, Cos," **Brainy said. Cos grumbled as he left the room. Sadly enough, he didn't make it out. He bounced off the doorway and crashed into the wall behind him. Bouncing Boy stared into the room sheepishly.

**"Sorry. Is Cos okay?" **Bouncy asked apologetically. He was wearing what seemed to be very comfortable black footie pajamas with blue and yellow circles printed all over them.

**"Stop saying my name! AARGH!"** Cos stormed out muttering curses under his breath.

**"Bye, Cos!"** I called out him. He gave me a murderous look and stomped off. Everyone else gave me an appreciative smile. **"So what are we doing?"**

**"I know what we can do!"** TimberWolf snarled. He'd been sulking in his seat ever since I'd entered, and his frustration was becoming evident through his actions. **"We can find out who replaced my pajamas!"** So those weren't his pajamas. I saw a twinkle flash in Phantom Girl's eyes and a small smile cross her face quickly. It was off her visage before TimberWolf's glare crossed over it, but it didn't make it any less interesting.

**"I agree. This new sleepwear is simply ridiculous." **Brainy pouted. Now it was Vi's turn to smile.

**"Well, I like my new PJs. They're comfortable, and don't look as ridiculous as yours do."** Lightning Lad announced proudly. A big grin covered his face and made his goatee dance. **"Besides, I know who replaced my jammies, and I bet I know who replaced yours as well."** The three perpetrators tried their hardest not to look guilty(not that trying made any difference), and the clueless TimberWolf and Brainy looked around....well, cluelessly. **"But due to the fact that telling is strictly prohibited, I am sworn to silence. Sorry."**

**"Since when do you talk so eloquently, Lightning Lad?"** Cham blurted out, transforming his head into an imitation of Lightning Lad's and mimicking his last sentence.

**"Since when do you use the word 'eloquent,' Cham?"** Lightning Lad shot back. Cham dusted his shoulder off.

**"Ouch. Zapped."**

"**So what ARE we doing, as I said before we went on a very short, pointless wild Gavorian chase?"** I demanded with an authoritative tone ringing in my voice, commanding attention and an answer.

**"Trip's been planning this for weeks. She said something about a bunch of 21st century party games Superman told her about."** Bouncy said happily. I guess he'd seen the games and approved of them. Trip bobbed her head eagerly.

**"Yupp! We're gonna play Pin the Tail on the Donkey and have a Three-Legged Race and a pillow fight and play Snuggle Bug and-"** Trip gushed, all three of her speaking at once.

**"Whoa, whoa, whoa. SNUGGLE Bug? I refuse to play anything with the word 'Snuggle' in it."** Kell snapped. All the guys seemed to be a little uptight. Maybe they knew they were going to be pranked. Maybe they were planning on pranking. Maybe they had a secret organized attack plan on anyone who tried to prank them. Maybe they'd been brainwashed by aliens to think that they would be pranked. Maybe-Aargh. There goes my overactive reporter's mind again. I shook my head and opened my eyes wide, as wide as possible.

**"Aw, come on, please? It sounds like fun!"** I purred, giving him a TimberWolf-errm, puppy dog face to convince him. He cleared his throat.

**"Hmmph. Fine."** He consented. Inside my head, my mind was doing explosive party gymnastics, back flips and front flips and happy flips and excited flips and ecstatic flips. And for good reason, too. I HAD just convinced a so-called 'mean' guy to play a very unmanly game. Maybe he wanted to snuggle with me. Maybe he actually did want to play, but wanted me to persuade him. Maybe he was just too tired to be stubborn......nah. He could never be too tired to be stubborn. Either way, I was elated. Trip explained the game to us, and although there were a few(lots of) grumbles from the guys, the girls seemed intensely excited. White Trip found a pen, paper, and a hat, a proceeded to write 'Snuggle Bug' on one bit of paper. All eleven pieces of paper were mixed up in the hat. The hat was passed around, and each of us took a piece of paper. Once the lights were dimmed, Trip, reunited into one, announced...

**"Third floor only! Go!"** I read my paper quickly, or rather, didn't. It was blank, one of ten blanks. Saturn Girl tapped me on the shoulder from behind.

**"Are you the Snuggle Bug?"** She asked in a low, dull voice. I shook my head and she gave me a small ring. **"Here. A flight ring. It's made to last for eight hours. Around here, you'll need it."** I slipped it onto my right ring finger, where all Legion rings were worn. It fit snugly and I turned it on. I jumped into the air and crashed straight into the ceiling, then back down to the floor. Two of the three Legionnaires still in the room laughed. I sighed and rubbed my head. Brainy came over and started a long monologue on how to operate the ring. I caught bits and pieces of sentences and words that were understandable by the "average" human brain. I could clearly see why they called him 'Brainy.' Eventually, I figured it out myself and thanked him, taking a moment to ask him whether he was th snuggle bug. He wasn't.

I headed down the hall, sensing someone was following me as only someone who stalks people would know. I turned around and there was TimberWolf.

**"I'm not the snuggle bug."** I stated plainly. He nodded and leapt off. A squeal of delight led me to a mostly empty room where all three Trips were hugging the daylights out of Bouncy. I smiled and patted Bouncy's head amongst the human cage he was encased in, then sat off alone. I noticed Kell, Lightning Lad, and Phantom Girl had all found the snuggle bug, and were now waiting for the game to end. TimberWolf came in, gave a short "I ain't touching that and you can't make me" glare at everyone, and sat off near the guys. Saturn Girl, Brainy, and Shrinking Violet entered shortly afterwards, and the game was considered over.

We all returned to the rec room and pretty much just chilled out fro a few hours. I sat with the girls, talking in hushed voices about our pranking plans. I stole a few looks at Kell(who might I add was wearing a T-shirt that did nothing to hide his muscles), but he seemed wrapped up in whatever conversation the guys were having. I noticed Brainy wasn't there, probably went to check on Cos and the other patrols. Purple Trip waved a hand in front of my face to get my attention.

**"Earth to Louise. What's over there that's so interesting?"** Purple Trip asked. Orange Trip raised her hand frantically.

**"I know, I know!"** She blurted. I gave her an evil glare, but she ignored it. **"Louise thinks SOMEONE is faaaaaaaaascinating!"** She drawled with a huge smile on her face.

**"Don't say another word!"** I shouted, tackling her to cover her mouth. She shouted Kell's name in a muffled tone, but fortunately, it was unintelligible. She was laughing, and the other two Trips pulled me off of her.

**"Cough it up, or I'll say it for you."** Orange Trip teased. The other three girls listened eagerly, Saturn Girl especially, since she had her hand on her forehead to keep herself from reading my thoughts or Trip's thoughts.

Just then, Brainy and Cham returned(where Cham had been this whole time was so far beyond me) with a data-pod that looked like it had some secrets hidden in it. It was sleek and black, and had the Legion symbol imprinted on the back where Brainy's hand gripped it. All the guys leaned in to peer at it. A sharp jolt to my temple made me adjust my data-cam, and I realized most of the guys were staring at me. I frowned for a moment and excused myself, heading back to the fifth level to retrieve my data-pod. I returned quickly to find all three girls and three girl laughing about something.

**"What did I just miss?"** I asked, amused. Phantom Girl fell backwards in her chair. She didn't crash on the floor, she just hovered just above her fallen chair, still laughing her butt off. Shrinking Vi, the only girl who wasn't practically falling off her chair, explained quickly.

**"TimberWolf was staring at the data-pod so intensely that he fell over Brainy, who fell on Lightning Lad, who fell on Cham, who fell on Bouncing Boy, who bounced all the guys backwards."** That explained why all the guys seemed disheveled. A computer voice din-donged and announced that it was three-thirty, time for sleep and shift changes. Trip rejoined herselves and hugged all the girls good night, then hugged all the guys good night. I hugged the girls, but just waved to the guys. To be totally fantastical yet perhaps factual, I think, maybe, perhaps, Kell looked a little disappointed. Not that I cared. Psht, who am I fooling. Of course I cared!

When Trip and I arrived in her room, the other girls were already there. Prank Headquarters opened for its first and probably only gig.

**"Quiz or raffle?"** Saturn Girl asked me immediately as I entered. I shrugged.

**"What for?"** I answered her question with another question.

**"Do you want to decide which boy to prank through a drawing or a pairing quiz I found in this data-zine?"**

**"No way! There's a quiz on the Legion guys in a data-zine?!"** I said elatedly. **"We're SO doing that one!"** Saturn Girl nodded.

**"We thought so."** Saturn Girl read out the questions, and each of us recorded our answers into a data-pod. She read out the point system, then who was associated with how many points, from a scale of 10-46. I got 37 points. From 10-11 was Lightning Lad, 11-12 was TimberWolf, 12-13 was Bouncy, 14-16 was Cham, and 20-46 was Brainy. Everyone save for Phantom Girl got Brainy.

**"You have got to be kidding me. How about we just, you know, choose?"** Saturn Girl asked. We all agreed, and set off to different rooms on the other side of the third floor without telling each other who we'd picked. I found myself wondering which room was Kell's. One of the girls, I'm not sure which, whispered in my ear.

**"You look for fifth door from de other side, to de left when you face the port tube."** She said in a ridiculously fake accent. She rushed off and I did exactly as she said, fifth door to the left from the other side. I'd been given aerosol whipped cream and a roll of toilet paper(both now only used for pranking and sold only at novelty stores due to the slow decline of other use, save for baking aficionados like TimberWolf) to prank with. I started with the toilet paper, draping it all over Kell's room. After the furniture was properly covered in the white stuff, I started looking for Kell. He was asleep in his bed. Excellent. I moved to spray his nose with whipped cream, but in a unsurpassed moment, I was in his arms. Yeah. I melted.

**"What do you think you're doing?"** He questioned in a low, dangerous voice. I shivered and blushed.

**"I-I'm....I-I....."** I stuttered. I suddenly threw my arm up and squirted him in the face with the whipped cream. His green eyes flashed for a moment and he let go of me. He looked enraged, livid enough to kill me. I took a slightly fearful step back. He took a step forward and his face softened. **"I already knew you were coming. We already knew about the pranking hanks to your reporter's cam and Brainy's hacking skills. It was just a matter of who got who. And most of us already knew who would prank us."** He paused for a moment and our eyes met. I saw something other than cold, mission-oriented lack-of-emotion. I saw.........happiness.

He broke our gazes and harrumphed.** "I have to go wash my face."** He excused himself. I gave him a small smile and did probably one of the most daring, bold, crazy, insane, idiotic, brilliant, and perfect things I have done or ever will do.

I kissed him. A short kiss, where there wasn't any whipped cream, right on the tip of his nose. He stood there in shock for a moment, but I was already out the door, blushing madly.

Maybe I'm not so much like the moon after all.

---

_**The next day....**_

Brainy and Lightning Lad stared rather horrified over a data-pod, the same pod from the night before. Louise ran after them to see what they were so shocked by.

A scream was heard shortly after. Brainy sometimes didn't know when to stop hacking.


End file.
